


Ordinary Love

by Dathen



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Aromantic Character, Canon Asexual Character, Daisy bringing the big sister energy, Gen, QP dasira (mentioned), Sex-Repulsed Jon, aroace Daisy, gray-aro Jon, internalized arophobia (mentioned), jonmartin (mentioned)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 08:22:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22966864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dathen/pseuds/Dathen
Summary: Once upon a time, Jon would have been certain that Daisy Tonner was the last person he'd have anything in common with.  She would have certainly said the same.-What are movie nights without exploring your identity, confessing deep-buried secrets, and finding someone like you where you never expected?
Relationships: Jonathan Sims & Alice "Daisy" Tonner
Comments: 75
Kudos: 404
Collections: Aspec Archives Week





	Ordinary Love

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate title: If you're ace and aro-spec and I'm ace and aro-spec, who's driving the plane??
> 
> Many thanks to semnai for the beta!

“I simply don’t understand why they’d go through so much  _ trouble _ . If he hadn’t cheated on his wife, the mob would have never caught up with him, and he could have met his long-lost twin on good terms instead of starting off as enemies.” 

Jon paused for breath, one hand waving aimlessly through the air, clutching an empty wine glass. Daisy caught it out of his hand and set it on the coffee table, then adjusted the blanket where it had slipped from their laps. It was a frayed and worn thing, stolen from the document storage cot and nabbed from who-knows-where before, but clinging to life enough to serve for movie night. Or rather, “soap operas on a laptop night.” They had to sit with shoulders touching to both see the small screen propped on the table, but they did the same when listening to the Archers, or reading separate books, or anything else that gave the excuse for it.

Jon waved his now empty hand with twice the fervor. “I don’t  _ get _ it,” he continued. “All of that! All for the sake of, of-- of  _ intercourse _ .”

“Intercourse,” repeated Daisy with a snicker.

“Fine, sex,” said Jon with a defiant tilt to his chin. “But really, I will never understand what the big deal is. I mean, I understand that most people have a, a  _ draw _ to it, fine, and that for most people it’s enjoyable--and I can take their word for that! People are-- are different! But there’s all kinds of things I find  _ enjoyable _ that I’m not out to ruin my life for. Or ruin other people’s lives.”

Daisy quirked her head at Jon, who had found a small ripped seam in the old blanket and was absently turning it into a large one. “So...you’re saying you don’t?”

Jon froze, then shot her a wounded look. “Ruin people’s lives? I--”

She batted at his elbow with the back of her hand. “None of that, now. What you just said about having a  _ draw _ . Enjoying it. You saying you don’t?”

“Oh, um.” His wine-flushed cheeks darkened a shade. “I...er...I thought you knew? Ah…”

Daisy shook her head. “Can forget if you want me to.”

Jon looked down, fingers tugging at the frayed threads again. “It’s-- N-no, it’s alright, I mean...heh, better you hear from me than from gossip, right?” His mouth twisted as he reached for his glass again.

Daisy shrugged. “S’alright. I mean, me too.”

The sound of the empty glass knocked over on the table rang out sharp in the hushed room. Jon flinched back into the couch before diving forward to set it upright. “Sorry-- I, um--” He cleared his throat. “You said-- You said you too?” Something sparked in his eyes, shy and longing. 

Daisy shrugged. “About the draw? Yeah. Used to think the way people talk about it was exaggerated. Being dramatic, trying to sell something, all that.” 

“Or trying to write a show,” Jon prompted.

“Heh,” Daisy grinned, glancing back at the screen. The advert break had ended, but neither made a move to turn the volume back up. “Have it on good authority those  _ are _ exaggerated.”

Jon settled back with his shoulder pressed against hers. “And you’ve heard it on good authority that the way people talk isn’t.”

“You get it.” She nudged him companionably with an elbow. “Sex can be fun, but--” She cut off, barking a laugh at his wrinkled nose. “Oh sorry,  _ intercourse _ \--”

“Daisy.”

“Fine,” she chuckled. “Though dunno about the  _ draw _ for romance, either. Aside from the sex.”

“But...but Basira? I thought…” Jon faltered, brows drawing together as he studied her face for a reaction.

A corner of her mouth quirked up. “Most people do.” She shrugged. “I let them. I kind of like it. It’s not too different, mind. We’ve always been partners. We’ve always been  _ together _ . What’s the word you like so much?”

“Anchors,” said Jon, eyes alight.

“That’s it. Feels a lot the same way--least I think it does. I’m safe with Basira. Happy.” She said the word slowly, as if testing its feel in her mouth. “And when we’re separated, feels like you can’t breathe.” She fell silent. The characters on the screen had launched into a heated argument, but the thoughtful look on her face didn’t waver, and neither did Jon’s intent stare. 

“Y’know, I used to think being like this was part of the Hunt,” she said at last.

Jon stiffened. “Wh-- Daisy, that’s-- You know that’s not true, right?” He lifted his hand and brushed the back of his knuckles against her wrist. 

Daisy looked down at him, her smile thin but reassuring. “I do now, yeah,” she said. “But I used to think the Hunt had burned it all out of me, left no room for something I was supposed to have. But in the-- the coffin, when it couldn’t touch me, I thought of Basira.” For a moment the lines in her face smoothed, eyes softening. “It was the same. I loved her the same, and it was enough. I didn’t know who I was apart from the Hunt, but that...was part of it. The part of me that was human.”

Wordlessly, Jon laid his hand on his leg next to hers. Daisy matched it, the side of her hand laying flat against his. He looped his little finger over hers, and she took a deep breath. 

“Well, Sims, looks like you get to tell me what it’s like,” said Daisy.

Jon blinked owlishly at her. “Wh-- What?”

“Getting a crush. Enlighten me.” Her grin was sharp and teasing.

“Oh. It’s, it’s...um.” Jon trailed off, brow furrowing in thought. “It’s hard to explain--Daisy, you know me, and, and, talking about  _ emotions _ .” He looked up at her helplessly.

She just chuckled. “Humor me. I’m curious.”

Jon plucked at the frayed blanket with his free hand. “It’s, I guess it’s--- No, that doesn’t make sense. It’s like…you know when you read a book, and it’s a wrench to put it down?”

“Not really.”

Jon huffed under his breath and pressed on. “Well sometimes it’s like that, but for thinking about that person. Then there’s all the physical reactions--” He paused, nose wrinkling, before hastily adding, “No, not like that-- don’t say a word--”

“I wasn’t!”

“ _ Anyway _ , just the, er, heart rate, or queasiness, or…” He waved both hands as he fished for words. “There’s an...odd urgency about it? It, it honestly feels a bit like panic, sometimes.”

Daisy hummed and sat back, nodding in exaggerated contemplation. “Sounds delightful.”

“Oh, hush.” Jon nudged his shoulder against hers, or aimed to and hit mid-bicep instead. He let himself lean against her, head just shy of resting on her shoulder. “It’s certainly not delightful, now,” he added, much quieter.

Daisy reached across with her other arm and coaxed his head against her shoulder. “Don’t think I’d call it a  _ crush _ at this point, Jon.”

Jon flushed, a half-dozen emotions flitting across his face in quick succession. “R-right. I guess not.” He cleared his throat. “For, well, being in, in  _ love _ ,” he said the word with an effort, like it was difficult to pronounce. “A lot of the time it’s...kind of what you described? Where you want to be close to them but without the...the--” His hands fluttered in aimless circles. “For me, anyway. The, ah, feelings that are different than that are something I can  _ keep up _ . They don’t...stay very long? Just come and go. It’s, ah, it’s made dating difficult in the past.” He began to hunch as he spoke, as if bracing for some customary jibe at this part. It didn’t come. He went on, “I don’t think I feel that part right, either.”

Daisy gave him a sharp look, but the usual chiding  _ stop moping _ didn’t come. Instead she jerked her head at the screen. “Clearly they’re the only ones doing it right, eh?”

The tension left Jon’s face in an instant. Jon laughed, high and unsteady. “Clearly.”

“Better start paying attention, Sims, we’ve got a lot to learn.”

“I’ll take notes.” Jon leaned forward to raise the volume, and was pulled back onto Daisy’s shoulder as soon as he sat back.

“You do that. I’ll steal them later,” said Daisy.

Jon narrowed his eyes. “I’ll write them in  _ Latin _ .”

Daisy snorted and ruffled his hair, ignoring Jon’s squawk of protest. “Quiet, gotta catch the recap.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are adored and appreciated, and you can find me at @dathen on tumblr and @datheneth on twitter. I'd love to hear from you!


End file.
